A Windwaker's Tale: Through my eyes
by Nagem
Summary: DISCONTINUED. Set during WW Everyone knows what Link did when he sailed over the Great Sea and saved the world from Ganondorf, right? I hope so. But what if there was more: a story within a story? This is what Tetra did.
1. Years ago

All righty then! This is the first chapter of the promised Tetra fic! Yay! It took my forever to write, and even though I will work on this as much as I can, updates still will probably be few and in between, so be patient for me, okay?

Disclaimer: Don't own Zelda. 

Oh, and this doesn't start out in Tetra's P.O.V but ends with it. Also, it's rather short. 

WARNING:

This fic goes more in-depth about some things expressed but not fully covered in Windwaker. If you don't like my theory about them-poo to you, and don't flame me about it. 

This will be a TetraxLink as time goes on, so if you don't like it, don't even start reading this. 

"_All hands on deck! All hands on deck!" _

The cry woke the six-year-old girl from her sleep next to her mother's bed. She got up and looked about wildly, blue eyes searching every corner of the cabin she and her mother slept in. Her eyes themselves were wide with fear. It wasn't fear of the cry, "All hands on deck," oh no, that happened often. It was the fear that her mother had been able to creep past her without her knowing. 

_Mama! _The girl thought, tumbling out of bed. As soon as her bare feet hit the wooden floor, she bolted for the doorway. A large-bodied figure suddenly appeared in her path, and the girl tried to skid past him. 

"Oh, no you don't, Tetra," Nudge said, lifting the mini-pirate girl off her feet. Tetra growled and kicked at his arms, but Nudge took no notice as he cradled her and spoke. "Miss Kalie said you weren't to leave the cabin."

Tetra pouted. "But Mama always let me on deck before!" That was a lie-Tetra had either snuck past Nudge, or her mother had forgotten to warn her crew of the girl's sneakiness and thirst for action. Either way, it didn't matter to the mini-pirate at the moment as she tried to fight her way out of the man's arms. 

"I wouldn't say that," Nudge said, reaching Tetra's tiny trundle bed but not setting the girl down in it for fear that she would run away again. As Tetra growled, Nudge sighed. "Do you want me to tell you a story?" The tone of hope in his voice was obvious-when Tetra was younger, the girl would always fall asleep to a long enough story. However, this time it was not meant to be. 

"I want to know what's happening," the mini-pirate said, crossing her short, slightly-chubby arms in front of her chest. Even at age six, the girl had the commanding tone that would one day make her the respected captain of the pirate crew. Nudge could feel the headache coming on as Tetra spat a six-year-old threat. "If you don't tell me, I'll scream and then Mama will come down."

"I know," Nudge said. "It's nothing, Tetra, just a storm." 

"_Just _a storm?" Tetra asked. Nudge winced. "Please tell me." She looked up to him, blue eyes questioning. Nudge winced again-he was bad at resisting when his young mistress begged, as she was doing now. 

"We were being attacked by another pirate ship," Nudge said, readjusting his grip on Tetra. The girl tried to take advantage of the looseness of the changing grip, although Nudge caught onto her trick quickly. "While we were fighting, a storm came up." Nudge cursed softly, but Tetra heard every word of it. "Those bastards'll be lucky to survive at this rate." 

Tetra sighed. "I wish Mama would let me on deck," she said wistfully. "It'd be so cool!"

Nudge laughed and ruffled her hair affectionately. "I don't know about that, little one," he said. When Tetra glanced up at him, he saw the weariness in her eyes and sighed. "You should get to bed, Tetra." The girl protested even as she yawned. Nudge frowned. "Now, don't give me that," he muttered, finally deciding it was safe to set Tetra down in the trundle bed.

"Nudge?" Tetra asked sleepily as she rolled over. Nudge tucked the blanket about her shoulders. 

"Hm?"

"When will you start calling me, 'Miss Tetra'?" 

Nudge only laughed. 

The next morning, Tetra woke early. She got up out of bed, and-without even thinking about getting out of her nightgown-went to find her mother. Mistress Kalie was leaning against the mast of the ship, looking throughly worn-out. She smiled when she saw her daughter, and held out her arms so that Tetra could launch herself into them. Tetra buried her face in Kalie's shirt as her mother held her close. 

"Mama, why wouldn't you let me come out on deck last night?" Tetra asked as innocently as it was possible. Kalie frowned, and held her arms out so that she could take a good look at her daughter. "Mama?"

"Tetra, it was dangerous on deck last night," Kalie said. "You could have been thrown overboard or easily killed by a passing arrow." Tetra averted her eyes, feeling guilty. Her mother could make her feel this way in a way that Nudge couldn't. "When you're older, ready to take over for me, I'll let you on." 

Tetra looked up at her mother, blue eyes wide. "Promise?" 

Kalie laughed. "I promise," she said, linking her fingers in between her daughter's. 

Over the next few weeks, Tetra began to perform simple pirate crew duties-she scrubbed decks, washed clothes, prepared food (as much as a six-year-old could) She enjoyed none of the chores, but didn't complain-in fact, the crew said she was oddly quiet for such a young age. Tetra paid no attention to these comments. 

"A pirate captain needs to be prepared to handle anything, just in case something happens and no one else can pick up the slack," Kalie said to Tetra one night when the mini-pirate wanted to complain. That was when Tetra bit her lip and nodded, determined to please her mother.

_"All hands on deck! All hands on deck!" _

Once again, Tetra found herself awoken by her mother's cry. Falling out of her bed, she managed to remember to pull on a pair of breeches before she started for the main deck. Everyone ignored her as she headed up the steps-until she ran into her mother. 

"Tetra!" Kalie cried as she grabbed for her daughter. Tetra yelped as her mother caught her. "Go back down." 

Tetra squirmed in her mother's grasp. "But, mama!" she cried as Kalie frantically tried to hide Tetra. The mini-pirate caught sight of the other ship that was firing on them-probably the reason that the call had been made. "Mama. . . . " 

"Go back," Kalie said. "Niko! Take her down!" Niko was several years older than Tetra and just as anxious for adventure as the captain's daughter. He appeared at Kalie's elbow, nervously glancing around, still unnerved by the fact that he was on the deck during an attack. Kalie thrust Tetra at Niko, and the pirate caught her. "Usually I'd ask Nudge for this, but-" The three of them glanced over to where Nudge was fighting with a canon. "He's busy." A sudden call from Zuko caused Kalie to head for the crow's nest. 

"Mama!" Tetra cried as she was half-carried away by Niko. She tore her eyes away from her mother to scream at Niko. There was a shout, and Niko, Tetra, and the rest of the crew looked toward the crow's nest. Through the confusion, all could see the arrow flying toward Kalie's back. Tetra screamed, and Kalie turned, taking the arrow to the heart. The force of the blow made her fly backwards, off the crow's nest, falling, blood trailing from where the arrow had pierced the skin. There was a sickening crack as Kalie hit the deck, and Tetra wrenched herself from Niko and ran toward her mother's body. "Mama!" 

"Tetra!" Nudge was at her side in an instant, picking her up and dragging her away from the horrible sight that used to be Kalie's body. As young as she was, Tetra didn't understand death, but somehow, she knew that she would never see her mother again. 

It took days for the crew to get themselves back together. Some holes had been blown in the ship during the battle, and some provisions had been lost to the

waves. With Kalie's death, there was no one there to order the pirates around, and chaos reined. Tetra, numb with shock, sat in her cabin, arms wrapped about her knees, unsure what exactly what was going on. 

Tetra was eventually brought to the deck by Nudge, who had a somber look on his face. She gripped his hand tightly, afraid of his behavior and what it might mean. Everyone was gathered near the railing of the deck, Gonzo holding an awkwardly-shaped bundle in his arms. He murmured something that Tetra couldn't hear and threw the bundle overboard. Tetra swallowed hard, hearing the splash the bundle made as it hit the water. 

"That's it then," Nudge said, his voice flat. 

"What's it?" Tetra asked, fear heavy in her voice. She didn't know what she was afraid of-she just knew something was bad. Something. . . . 

_Some odd number of years later_

It still hurt to pass over my mother's grave. Even though I didn't know it at the time-didn't understand it completely, I knew that she was gone. I stared down into the water as I heard Gonzo yell that we were going to make it to Windfall by nightfall. I ignored him and reached for the water, wishing I could let it trail through my fingers. Somehow, I felt closer to my mother when I could touch the water. 

"Miss Tetra?" Gonzo leaned on the railing next to me and peered into my face. I let my look of self-pity melt into a scowl that caused Gonzo to back up a few paces. "Apologies, Miss," he stammered, obviously not knowing what he could have done to offend me. I felt sorry for him-just a little. "I just wanted to let you know that we'll be at Windfall Island soon, and that we need to dock there for the night."

"Why?" I snapped, unpleased at having to stay at such a populated island-it attracts too much attention to us.

"We need to restock on provisions," Gonzo stammered. There was something else in his voice. . . . 

"And?" I snapped. "Spit it out!" 

"There have been rumors about kidnappings on the island," Gonzo said. "Young women. Everyone thinks that we're doing it, and I thought that-"

"It would be a good idea to show our faces and dispel the rumor, right?" I asked, my words clipped. We had done this a thousand times-even before I could remember. For some reason I was pleased to note that there was a hint of concern in his voice for me. If young women were being kidnapped, I was surely no exception. "Well then, let's get this over with."


	2. Dispelling rumors

Hello all! Sorry it's been a while! Thanks for all the positive support for this story!! I will update as often as I can!! 

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda. 

Erm, I don't like this chapter very much. I'll tell you why-I've long since decided that writer's block is not a valid reason for not updating for forever, so I wrote most of this through a very severe case of writer's block. Which is strange, since it's longer than the first chapter. So sorry if it really sucks!! Also, I wrote the last few paragraphs while listening to a really sad song.

Oh, I don't know how many of you like fics like this one I've been editing for a friend, but I think it's a worthwhile read, and my friend needs all the positive reviews he can get (he got really close to being flamed just days after he put it up, damn flamers) It's called "Defiance" by Whyette_h. It's a little odd, considering we forgot to mention it's Semi-AU in the first chapter. Anyway, if you would take some time to read the first chapter and drop Whyette a review, we would both appreciate it very much. (I _will _read reviews for that story, so don't say anything bad about me!) 

Domo Arigato! (means "Thank you very much" in Japanese, for those who don't know) 

That's it, I guess. 

-Nagem

Wind tugged at my hair as I stepped onto the dock at Windfall. Behind me, I heard Nudge shout the orders for everyone to stay on deck, that I would do better to be alone. I smiled wryly. At least someone realized it. I stepped off the dock onto the hard-packed dirt road. Several pairs of eyes swerved in my direction, trying to catch a glance of the famous female pirate. I ducked into the crowd, hoping to throw off the accusing stares. I wove my way through the crowd until I spotted a deserted alleyway, and ducked into it. Several pairs of eyes followed my movements, but no one said anything. 

_At least there's less attention drawn to me, _I thought as I picked up my pace. The buildings on either side of me began to block out the light, and, by habit, I began to move slower. Finally, only shadows prowled the alleyway. I grimaced at the smell of rot and decay coming from the piles of trash that were deposited here each day. Who would have ever guessed that Windfall could be so dirty? 

"And what does this little girl want with the black market?" Before I could react, I was grabbed from behind, one arm twisted about my back, a hand clapped over my mouth to keep me from screaming. I didn't move. Even though it was rare for me to be attacked around here, the few who thought they could try it were dangerous folk. "Aw, is the little miss scared?" 

I shifted slightly, using the movement to cover up the release of a dagger buckled to my ankle. "If you don't let her go, this 'little miss' is going to cut your throat out." The grip loosened as the man processed my words, and I broke away, spinning out of his reach and ducking to grab my dagger. Once I straightened, the man eyed the dagger in my hand. "Well? Are you going to let me through? Or are you going to gape at me a little more?"

"Who _are _you?" he asked, backing away from me, holding his empty hands out-the bandit's sign of surrender. 

"Tetra," I said, watching to see his reaction to the name. Everyone knew my name, the leader of the fiercest pirates on the Great Sea. "Let me by, or I might not be so nice in a few minutes." 

"Yes, ma'am," he said, vanishing into the shadows. He _did _know the name then. I was famous with the bandits-I grinned at the thought. 

Inside the intersection of alleyways where the black market was held, figures scuttled around, most wearing a black cloak with a hood to disguise themselves. The black market was a less than reputable business. I looked about, and walked over to my favorite stall. 

"Hey there, Tet," the stall keeper, Jem, said, using his favorite nickname for me. He grinned, but his mouth had no teeth. I looked into his eyes, the only life the black market hadn't sucked out of him. "Come to restock?"

"When don't I?" I asked, keeping my voice dry. In truth, I hated the black market, but the salesmen here were the only ones who would ever sell anything to me. The ones who sold wares in the sunlight were terrified that they would be cheated by a pirate, while in the black market it didn't matter. Everyone was cheated by everyone. The few honest men who came this way were often cheated out of business in months-and comments were made about the honest salesmen vanishing during the night before they could go back. I shivered at the thought. The people who kept the market in semi-order would rather kill than let the whereabouts of it be known. 

"Cold?" Jem asked with another smile without teeth. He laughed, a short barking sound that made me shiver again. Even though he was my favorite stall keeper, it was not because I enjoyed his company-it was because he was easier to swindle.

"Nah, bad thoughts," I said, glancing around for any suspicious figure eyeing me, for one reason or another. "Jem, I'm going to leave rather quickly, I hope to pull out of the docks by as early as sunrise tomorrow. You think that you can deliver your goods by then? I'll give you fifty extra rupees." 

Jem's eyes lit up. "One hundred."

I frowned. "Seventy-five." 

"Eighty."

"Seventy-seven."

"Three hundred." He _had _to be joking. 

"If you're gonna do that-thirty." 

"Sixty-five, then." I knew he was joking. 

"Sixty. That's my final offer," I said, holding out the rupees where he could see them but couldn't get to them. "Take it or leave it." Jem's eyes lit up again, eyeing the rupees I held. I could see the internal battle in his mind-either get more money, or loose it all with the customer. I had long since told him that if he ever haggled me past my breaking point, I wouldn't come to his stall for months. I had proved it more than once. 

"Deal," he said, reaching for the rupees. I dropped them to the wooden table of his stall. The hand dropped and swept them away before one could tell they were even there. "I will have the items delivered to your ship by sunrise, Miss Tetra." Jem bowed and backed away from his stall, blowing out the small lantern that only illuminated his face. Knowing there was nothing else to do, I turned and made my way out of the market.

It was sunset before I had made my way back through the winding streets and alleyways to my ship. As I approached it, I noticed, in the valleys between the small wind-created wakes breaking against it, that the hull was covered by barnacles and other disgusting objects. I hissed in slight annoyance-it would have to be scraped clean soon, something I hated doing. 

"Miss Tetra!" Gains came running to me. "You came back safe!" 

"I always do," I said, watching the people on the docks who kept a watch on me out of the corners of their eyes. "They have no proof against me, other than the fact that we weren't here when the kidnappings occurred."

"Even so," Mako said, joining Gains and I. "They have to ask themselves what reasons we would have capturing girls." 

"They'd make up a reason just to jail us," I hissed, staring at the police captain and the jailkeeper who had joined the harbor master. They were prepared for an arrest. "Hm, we aught to stay on the ship tonight." 

"Miss!" Gains whined in protest. "We haven't had a decent bed for ages."

"And until this all blows over we won't have a decent bed," I said. "I don't want to risk staying at the inn. They'd have more things to mistakenly blame us for. Like the expensive glass that vanished a month ago that they have yet to report." 

"Expensive glass?" Gains said in confusion. "We didn't. . . . " 

"I wasn't serious," I said in annoyance. "It was just an example of what _could _happen. Get yourself together, Gains." 

"Yes, Miss," Gains said. "We are going to stay on the ship tonight then?" I nodded, and sighed as I watched him climb the ladder hung on the side of the ship up to the main deck. 

"Problems?" Mako asked. I shook my head, and followed Gains, not looking forward to the meal of stale bread and water any more than my crew. 

I woke early the next morning to the scraping sounds of Jem's men dragging the crates of goods I had ordered onto the deck. I yawned and rolled over in my bed, making a mental note to myself to take inventory the next morning, though I doubted the men would steal anything. There was always one of my men on duty, and they had tried it before-it didn't work. I always got back what they took. 

When I rose the next morning-_before sunrise,_ I thought proudly-a tired Zuko waved me good morning and went below deck to get some sleep. Niko scrubbed furiously at spots on the deck, while Senza shouted at him to get moving. Nudge, Gains, and Mako sat in a semi-circle, talking in soft voices. As I approached, Gains jumped up and came to greet me. 

"Good morning, Miss," he said. "We were just discussing possible destinations." He motioned to Mako, who waved a treasure chart in the air for a few moments before bringing it down to study once more. "We're hoping that you're pleased."

_I'm amazed that they even got up on time, _I thought, hiding a small smile. They need not do this for me, and they knew it. But I couldn't cut them slack. "Good. Do you know where we should go?" 

Gains fidgeted nervously. "I heard there was something, some sort of cave near the Forsaken Fortress," he mumbled. I winced-as harmless as the place was, I still liked to steer clear of it. I didn't want a war between pirates just because I was stupid enough to wander into someone else's territory. At my wince, Gains continued. "I know you don't like that place, your mother didn't either."

"Don't mention my mother and the Forsaken Fortress in the same breath," I hissed. Everyone backed away from me. They knew exactly why I hated the Forbidden Fortress-my mother had been killed near there. We had entered another pirate's territory back then-not on purpose, the storm had blown us off course. They had fought us, we had chased them off, and the next night they had killed her. I frowned, remembering it all. Everyone backed further away. 

"You've done it now," Mako hissed to Gains. 

"Relax," I said. "I'm not planning to punish anyone. Just . . . set course and get going."

"Yes, Miss!" And they scattered, leaving me to my thoughts. 

As we sailed, I lay on my bed in my cabin, lost to the world. Time meant nothing to me, I didn't even care when Nudge came to the door and told me it was time for midday meal. I was lost in my own thoughts, thoughts about my mother and the stories she used to tell me. 

As I thought, my hand wandered to the thick bandana I wore about my neck. My hand slipped under the bandana, and when I felt a rough leather cord I withdrew it. The cord was a necklace, crudely made, but suitable for its task. As I gazed at it, my eyes flew to the golden triangle that the cord supported. Most would see it as gold-worthless except as money, but it held special meaning to me. It was the last thing that my mother had ever given to me. 

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

_ I wriggled in my mother's arms, smiling up at her as she wove one of her many tales in a gentle voice. After a while, I grew tired and rested my head on her chest, just happy to be with her and listening to her soothing voice. _

_ "Tetra? Are you still awake?" Mother asked. _

_ "Huh?" I mumbled, half asleep. _

_ She laughed at me. "You love those stories, don't you?" she asked. _

_ "Yeah!" I said, starting to wake up. "All the action, the betrayal." I was talking, of course, of the goddesses deserting their beautiful land and leaving it to an unknown fate. "I wish something like that would happen now. Everything's boring." _

_ Mother laughed again. "Tetra, you really want something neat?" _

_ "Yeah!" _

_ She set me on her bed, and went to her drawer. After a few minutes of searching, pulled a golden triangle hung on a thick leather cord. "This has been passed down through our family for ages," she said, handing it to me. I took it and stared at the triangle, awed. "Each generation guards it with her life." She smiled, sitting back down next to me. "I'm not supposed to give you this until you come of age, but I think you're ready." _

_ "Thank you!" I cried. "I swear I'll never let it fall into the wrong hands! Whatever it is!"_

_ Mother laughed again._

_ The next few weeks were spent making up invisible enemies and guarding the strange triangle that my mother had given me. The crew laughed at me, Mother perhaps the loudest. I didn't care-I finally had something to do. I eventually grew bored of it, and hid it underneath my shirt. I never thought it would carry anymore importance to me than that._

_*~*~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*_

Rolling over so that I could see the picture of the legendary hero that hung near my bed, I clutched the triangle tightly and fell into a deep sleep.


	3. Lost necklace

Hm, this is interesting. I meant to post this days ago, but it didn't want to upload correctly. Either way . . . I don't know what to say, really. 

Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda. 

And I ask you once again to read "Defiance," by Whyette-h. Please drop him a review and tell him that you're reading. Thank you

-Nagem

One of Zuko's various sounds woke me from my slumber some time later. I blinked my eyes against another wave of exhaustion-I had not realized that I was so tired!-I swung my legs over the bed and surveyed myself. My clothes were wrinkled, pants pushed up above my hips. Standing, I pulled them down with a hint of annoyance. I straightened the rest of my clothes as I made my way out of my cabin and up the stairs to the main deck. 

"Miss Tetra!" Gonzo and Nudge came running to meet me, both yelling my name in unison. As they reached me, Gonzo continued. "You've been in your cabin for hours! When Nudge went down and found you asleep, we were relieved, but. . . . "

"Oh, don't blabber, I'm fine," I snapped, feeling back to my old self now that I had had quite a bit of rest. "If I was in true trouble, I wouldn't be up here, now would I?" 

Right, Miss," Nudge said, elbowing Gonzo in the ribs. Gonzo muttered the same words. His face quite a bit brighter, Nudge continued. "Gonzo and I were just coming down to wake you-Zuko said we're here." 

"I heard," I grumbled. "That's what woke me up." Nudge and Gonzo grinned nervously, fearing that I was in a bad mood. I wasn't, really. Not that much. "So. Where do we plan to anchor for the night?" I looked around, realizing that it was later than I had thought. The sun was slowly slipping towards the western edge of the sky, and shadows cast by the main mast were growing and creeping across the main deck.

"W-we don't know, Miss," Gonzo stuttered. 

I gritted my teeth together, good mood gone. "Why don't you know?" 

"We. . . . Weren't sure what would be suitable," Nudge said. 

_Don't they know anything? _I wondered. "I'll do it." Ignoring Nudge and Gonzo's protests, I made my way to the crow's nest where Zuko kept watch. As I reached the ladder, I jumped, my feet hitting three or four rungs above the bottom one. My hands wrapped securely about the rung closest to my face, and I began to climb, one hand over the other. "Zuko!" 

The small pirate squeaked and voiced one of his many incomprehensible sounds as he turned and saw me. 

"Give me the telescope," I said, holding out a hand. He thrust it at me, then watched with interest as I peered through it. I saw a rock with a cache seeming carved out of it-the cave, I assumed. Near it was another rock standing high out of the water. I turned a dial on the telescope, focusing it and zooming it in on the two rocks, but what I saw wasn't enough. "Drop anchor!" I called. "Man a lifeboat! We're going to see if there's anyplace suitable for hiding." Watchman ships, as pirates called them, often prowled the seas late at night, looking for pirate ships who hadn't hiden themselves. I doubted there would be one way out here, but I wasn't about to take any chances. I walked to the edge of the crow's nest and swung myself down onto the ladder, climbing down a few feet before dropping. 

"Miss?" Nudge asked as I walked toward the back of the boat where the lifeboats were kept. 

"There's a space between the cave and another rock," I explained curtly, walking quickly, Nudge easily keeping stride. "I don't want to risk bringing the whole ship in, in case it's too shallow, but I think we can spare a lifeboat, correct?" 

"Not really miss," Nudge said. "I'd rather we keep the lifeboats if we can." 

"We're still taking a lifeboat, you know," I said, slightly miffed at Nudge's open contradiction. 

"I know," Nudge said, surpressing a sigh.

All was eeriely quiet as the lifeboat rowed further and further away from the ship. I strained my ears and heard the distant sounds of the men left on board and the louder sound of the oars moving through the water. The niche between the rocks was wider than I expected, which was good. It would be easier to fit the ship in this way. I heard a soft splash as a pirate stuck his hand in the water, testing how deep it was. 

"Miss," Nudge's soft voice said. "I can't feel the bottom of the water with my hand." 

"All right then, get out the Plumb." The Plumb, known by all sailors, was a stick with measurements on it, used to test the depth of the water. It was most often used in situations like this. 

"Um . . . we forgot it, miss," Nudge mumbled, and I whirled. 

"How could you forget something like that?" I demanded. 

Everyone went still for a moment. 

_Well, there's only one way to test the depth now, _I thought, looking over the edge. 

"Miss Tetra?" Senza asked. 

"Bombs away!" I shouted, jumping off the lifeboat into the salty water. There were muffled gasps as I went under. As I felt the water trying to push me up with no bottom in sight, I angled my body downwards and kick my legs. I put my hands out in an arrow in front of me, making it easier to move downwards. I had to come up for breath before I could reach the bottom. I surfaced coughing and sputtering, trying to inhale. 

"Miss!" the pirates, Nudge, Gonzo, and Senza, cried as one, all trying to pull me into the boat. It was a wonder that in less than a minute, I was seated on the floor of the little dingy and had a shirt wrapped around me that smelled of sweat.

"Whose is this?" I asked, picking at the fabric that they had hoped to dry me with. When no one spoke, I looked around and came to my own conclusions. Senza and Nudge had shirts on-Gonzo didn't. "Nevermind." 

"Are you all right, miss?" Nudge asked, wringing his hands. "You were down there forever!" 

"There seems to be no bottom here," I said. Usually, we'd be able to find the bottom of the water in a place like this, with two rocks this close together. It would normally go about three or four feet down, and then you'd hit rock. But this place was different. I had no idea what it meant. "And its wide enough, so we can dock here for as long as we need." The three nodded and began rowing back to the ship-but not before I had thrown Gonzo's shirt back to him with a scowl. 

As sundown approached, we made preparations to pull in between the two large rocks and dock for the night. I walked among my crew, hearing various snippets of conversation or shouted orders. I myself shouted at Niko once or twice when he ran about the deck senselessly instead of helping the rest. For such a large ship, we had an awfully small crew, which always seemed to bother my mother and I. It took us twice as long as normal ships to unfurl the sails, or to drop the anchor. With this already being a liability, I couldn't let one man run about not doing his work. 

"Gonzo!" Senza shouted down to where Gonzo was shouting orders. "I need someone up here to help me tie down these damn sails!" 

"Everyone's working!" Gonzo shouted. "And I'm going to help Nudge with the foremast!" he added before Senza could say anything. 

"I've got it," I said, darting to the main mast. Gonzo opened his mouth to protest, but glanced up at the struggling Senza and shut it. I arrived at Senza's side in moments, reaching for the thick fabric of the sail he was having trouble with. It came up easily with two of us, and I held it down while Senza tied it down. 

"Thanks, miss," he gasped. At that moment a strong wind blew, testing how well we had tied it down. There were yells as Mako and Niko went flying off into the wind, holding onto an untied sail. I covered my eyes with an arm and held on tightly to the ship with one arm and my legs. As the wind died down, I blinked and turned to Senza, who was already on his way to helping Mako and Niko with the runaway sail. 

I shimmied back down the main mast to the oddly empty deck. I looked up to see everyone hurriedly tieing down the sails, even Senza, who was doing so as he scolded Mako and Niko for being careless. I couldn't hear the words, but from the sight of Mako and Niko's ashamed faces and Senza's mouth moving in fast, clipped syllables, it was obvious. 

"Miss!" Nudge and Gonzo slid down the foremast as I turned. "Everything's tied down!" 

"Good," I said. I looked at the passage between the rocks. On the dingy it had seemed to wide, and now it seemed so small. Gonzo came to the railing next to me and set his jaw, looking as grim as I felt. I reached for my bandana, hoping that by fiddling with the fabric I could soothe my senseless nervousness. My hand slipped under the bandana. "Oh no!" 

"Miss?" Gonzo asked, looking at me as I ripped the bandana from my neck. "Something wrong?" 

"My necklace!" I cried, rubbing a hand about my neck, searching for the thick leather string that usually held it up. "It's gone!" Gonzo's jaw dropped, obviously having some idea of what I was talking about, and Nudge looked horrified. 

"Not the one your mother gave you?" Senza cried. I nodded as I fell to my knees, stomach turning to pudding. I prayed it hadn't fallen when I dove into the water-there was no hope of getting it back then.

"Yes," I mumbled. "The one my mother gave me." I felt sick to my stomach-my last gift from my mother, my last momento of the time we spent together, was gone. 

"Search the deck!" Gonzo cried as Senza and Nudge helped me to my feet. I stood, swaying slightly as if I were just out to sea. "Find Miss Tetra's item!" Even though I was glad he hadn't said the word "necklace," no one needed to ask. They had known me long enough. They had known my mother. They knew exactly what they were looking for. 

Minutes later the crew assembled in front of me, shaking their heads in a silent apology. 

"We're sorry, miss," Niko said, ashamed of himself. 

"Not your fault," I said. The crew caught each other's eyes and nodded. They knew now just how much the loss of my mother's necklace had upset me-it was a rare day when I let someone off the hook for not doing what he was ordered-not to mention when someone spoke out of turn in a time like this. I looked up-we had made it between the rocks safely, and the last of the sun had just vanished. I looked about. "Bed." I turned and walked to my cabin. 

I lay on my bed late that night, not wanting to face the oncoming day even though it had the promise of a new treasure. I just wanted my old treasure back. My hand wandered to my bare neck again, unused to the absense of the necklace now that I was aware of it's vanishing act. My hand touched just above my breats, where the golden triangle would have usually hung. Rolling over, I spotted the picture of the fabled hero, and reached out it, tracing the lines of the picture. I closed my eyes, letting my fingers trail over the picture as they would. 

_Why was I so careless? _I scolded myself as I withdrew my hand. _Why didn't I secure my necklace? Why didn't I take a few moments to leave it in my treasure chest? _My treasure chest, kept under the bed where my trundle used to be (and actually made out of the old thing, too) held the most precious of my items, things I would cherish for as long as I lived-like the picture of Niko screaming his head off after stealing Mako's glasses, or the one with Gonzo, Senza, and Nudge squirting milk out of their noses as one. I smiled at the thought. 

"Miss?" one of the aforementioned pirates, Gonzo, stuck his head in my cabin. "The crew says they're ready to hit that cave this morning." 

_This morning? _I wondered. _Was I up all night or did I fall asleep? _As I swung my legs over the bed and winced at their stiffness, I decided that I had in fact been asleep, I just wasn't aware of it. "All right, I'm coming." I tried to make my voice sound strong and sure, as if I was over losing the silly old necklace, but I could tell from the look on Gonzo's half-shadowed face that it hadn't worked. 

"Are you sure you're up to this?" he asked. "We can delay a day if you wish."

"We're going," I said. 

And we were going to get my treasure weather I had that silly old necklace or no. 


	4. Until Sundown

Holy crap, it's been a long time, hasn't it?

Well, I'm sorry, and this is a rather long chapter to make up for the wait. At least, I hope it is sweatdrops Oh, and a big thank-you goes out to Whyetteh for making me get off my butt and get started on this chap. So . . . thank you!

Anyway, I have my reasons. How's this: school's a bitch that makes me take finals all month.grumbles Yes, well, I think that's it, other than I don't own Zelda . . . so . . . enjoy and please review.

The crew was somber as I stepped out onto the deck that morning. I walked among them, nodding silent approval as they went about their morning tasks. I didn't bother to tell off Niko for missing a spot on the deck, I didn't even care. On the starboard side of the ship a small dingy waited for me. I was to lead myself and a few selected men to the cave, through the cave, and back. I stopped. Suddenly, without my necklace, I felt weak, insecure, unsure of my next actions. I couldn't do this, they couldn't ask me to. . . . My eyes sought Gonzo's, and they must have been pleading, for he opened his mouth to give an order.

"Man the dingy."

No noise came from the crew as Gonzo, Mako, and I stepped into the little boat. There was a jerking motion then the dingy was lowered into the water. I reached out for it-we were close enough to the Forsaken Fortress that maybe I could . . . I didn't know. My hand hit the water, and I heard the sounds of Gonzo untying the boat from the rest of the ship. Within a few moments, there was the sound of the oars hitting the water, and we were slowly pulling away from the ship.

"Are you sure you're up to this, Miss?" Gonzo asked as he rowed. Mako echoed him.

"I'm fine," I said absent-mindedly. "Just . . . give me a few moments of peace and quiet."

No one spoke a word after that.

It was high noon when we reached the cave. There was about five feet of rock before the cave entrance, and as the boat bumped against it, I jumped out, ordering Mako to throw me the rope to tie the dingy down so it wouldn't float away. Mako grumbled something as he did so, and then jumped out of the boat-Gonzo had been right behind me.

"Is the knot secure?"

"I'm not a child anymore, Mako," I snapped as I jerked on the rope to make the knot tighter. "I know how to tie a knot, all right?" He didn't reply, and I jerked harder, nearly unsettling the rope. "Come on. The sooner we get this done, the better."

"Is it just me or does she seem in a mood?"

"Mako. . . . "

"Apologies, Miss!" We entered the cave at that point, Mako and I looking about in the awe that never deserted us while Gonzo lit a torch he carried with him from the ship. "This place is amazing."

"You say that every time," Gonzo grumbled, stepping in front of us and leading the way. "Come on."

"Hey!" I declared, darting up to meet him. "I'm the captain here! I should be leading us!" Gonzo sighed in resignation and handed me the torch, while both he and Mako shook their heads. I could predict what was running through their minds: _She's such a child. _I frowned and set my jaw. I was not a child! I'd show them, like I did every time. The cave floor began to slope downwards, and I cursed as my foot hit a rock and sent it flying, making clattering bangs all the way down the floor.

"Are you all right, Miss?"

"Fine," I replied as I shook out my foot and continued walking. "If I wasn't fine, then believe me, you'd know it." They nodded, and continued on.

For the most part, the walk was silent. The cave was so large with so many twists and turns I suspected that we were focusing more on remembering our way out rather than idle chatter. I rather enjoyed the silence. It gave me time to think, as I had been the night before and on the dingy ride to the cave. We entered some sort of a chamber that branched out into two tunnels, and I stopped, silently considering which tunnel was our best bet.

"I'm cold!" Mako announced. "And hungry!" Even though I scowled at him, I pulled the torch closer to myself, hoping the fire would warm the chill that had seemed to set into my bones. Gonzo agreed.

"All right, since you two are such wimps, we'll break for midday here," I said, setting myself down on the cold cave floor. "I hope one of you brought something." Mako nodded and reached into the knapsack he had been carrying. He pulled out six biscuits and three slices of meat-probably pork. Out of his knapsack, Gonzo brought out a flask full of water. I was tossed two biscuits, and a slice of meat. Gonzo set the flask down in the middle of the three of us. Mako picked it up and took a drink. "Is it fresh?" I asked in a half-hearted attempt of conversation as I bit into my meat.

"Yeah," Mako said, wiping his mouth and setting the flask back down. "It tastes like whisky."

"There's a little bit of whisky in there," Gonzo said as I picked up the flask and took a swig. The whisky burned going down my throat and I coughed, still unused to drinks.

"I _hate _whisky!" I declared past my cough."I may be a pirate, but I _hate _it!"

"Right," Gonzo muttered. "Forgot." Likely he forgot. He was probably hoping I didn't notice the taste. I bit into a biscuit and swallowed, trying to rid my throat of the burning. There were only the sounds of chewing and swallowing until Gonzo asked, "Do you have any idea which way we should go?"

"No clue," I said. "I figure if we go down one and don't find anything, then it must be the other."

"True," Mako admitted. "But who knows how long it would take us to go down one tunnel, let alone both. And think, there might be an ancient trap in the wrong tunnel. We could die."

"Who would bother to put a trap way down here?" Gonzo asked, laughing.

"Someone had to put the treasure down here," I offered, and Mako nodded. "So then someone wanted to protect it."

Mako nodded again. "I think it was an ancient civilization wanting to protect an object they thought had great power," he said. Gonzo blinked and muttered something about Mako being the "brains of the group" while something hit me.

"Like those 'triumph forks' the fish are always talking about," I said with a small giggle. It wasn't as good a joke as I had wanted, but I was rewarded with a few smiles. We all knew that the talking fish seen throughout the Great Sea, who gave lost travelers directions, were crazy when it came to gossip. Honestly, whatever "Triumph Forks" was supposed to mean, surely it couldn't be as powerful as the fish made it seem.

"True," Mako said. "But I doubt something with such a name could really be an object of power."

"It's possible," I argued, more for the sake of cracking a joke than anything else.

Gonzo gave a frustrated sigh. "You two debate ancient civili-jigs all you want," he grunted, getting to his feet. "I'm going to go see if there's anything that can lead us in the right direction." He stalked over to where the tunnel branched off, although it could be said that Mako and I paid him no mind. Mako was trying, in vain, to convince me that the Triumph Forks were not real treasures, while I argued on for the sake of arguing on and finding a new joke.

Mako and I argued for an hour before Gonzo came back over and told us to come see what he had found. Mako and I got to our feet, following Gonzo to where the tunnel split.

"Look at this." He pointed to something inscribed on the wall. They were strange symbols, none I had ever seen before. "I think it's writing, but I have no idea what it means. There's no arrows or anything." He huffed and crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall.

"No," I said. "This is great. Mako, can you read this?"

"Perhaps," Mako said slowly. He peered closely at the inscribing on the wall, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "I've seen markings like this before, but I can't place them."

"They look familiar to me, too." I frowned. I had no idea where the statement had come from . . . but it was as if I had seen these markings before. "I think these are the markings on the scrolls that tell of the Hero?" Both Gonzo and Mako blinked slowly at me before nodding. "Then no one can read it." My spirits fell. If we couldn't figure out which tunnel to take, we'd never get the treasure, and I'd never get my mind off my mother's necklace. "Forget it. We'll never figure it out."

"Perhaps we can," Mako said.

"No, it's impossible." I began to walk back the way we had come, and both Gonzo and Mako stared after me.

"Until sundown."

"What?" I turned to see Gonzo staring at me, eyes narrowed.

"I ask that we stay until sundown, spend the night in the cave, and then leave," he said. He seemed to take a minute to gather his courage, and then continue. "If there was something that Miss Kalie, your mama, taught me, it was that a pirate _never _gives up on treasure this easily. _Never. _So, unless you want dishonor your mama's spirit, I suggest we keep trying, no matter how hopeless it might seem to you."

"Gonzo," Mako said. "I wouldn't push her . . . she'll dock your food."

"I don't care," Gonzo said. "Let her put me on half rations, I'd rather starve than let her walk away from a treasure without trying to find it." I stood there, stunned, and Gonzo came over, putting his hands on my shoulders and shoving me down onto the rock. "Okay, Mako? Do you have a copy of those scrolls Miss Tetra was talking about?"

"I think so," Mako said.

"In my cabin," I offered, somewhat numbly. "On my desk."

"Go get them," Gonzo ordered, and Mako ran off. As the sound of Mako's footfalls died away, Gonzo caught my eye, and I lowered my head, ashamed that I had thought of giving up on the treasure. Silence echoed around us as I stared at the rock below my feet until Gonzo cleared his through. "I'm sorry, Miss Tetra. I should have waited for your permission on the matter."

"Doesn't matter," I grunted with my head still bowed, trying to keep my tough exterior. "I was. . . . " I broke off. I couldn't say I had been planning the same thing-it had been painfully obvious that I wasn't. What was I doing? I didn't know.

"I know," Gonzo said, smiling. "You don't have to explain to me, Miss."

_Do I? _I wondered, raising my head to look at him. Sometimes I wondered just how much I had to explain to my crew and how much I could keep my mouth shut about and still have them understand me. "Thank you." At that moment, heavy panting and rapid footfalls announced Mako's arrival.

"What took you so long?" Gonzo demanded, taking the scroll that Mako held. Mako didn't answer, but I'm sure he would have had he the breath. Gonzo unrolled the scroll and stared at it for a few moments before handing it to me. "I think Miss Tetra should decode this, as it is her scroll." He said the words with a smug smile, and I could have killed him right then and there. I settled for a scowl in his direction and walking over to where the inscribing were. I looked over the scroll, with the same odd lettering as the wall, with the legend written as I could read it underneath. My vision alternated between the two as I tried to decode what I could. I eventually read "left" on one of the symbols.

"It says 'left' right here," I said aloud, pointing to the lettering. "But I don't know what 'left' could mean."

"Doesn't it mean we go left?" Gonzo asked.

"It could mean there's a trap in the left," Mako shot in. I glared at the parchment in front of me, willing it to tell me what I was supposed to be reading as the two crewmembers argued.

"I think that because 'left' is the last word in the lettering," I began, walking over to where the left tunnel began to branch off. "And there's only one or two other words, we should probably go left."

"How'd you figure?" Gonzo asked.

I pointed at the lettering. "There's the word 'left' and then that-"I pointed to the lettering in front of the word. "-which I'm not sure about. But it's easier to say 'go left' in two words than it is to warn someone around a trap in two words."

"But if the treasure was set in ancient times," Mako cut in. "Then probably everyone could read it. So it wouldn't make sense to say 'go left' and show invaders right to their treasure."

"So that means we go right?" Gonzo asked. Mako and I looked at each other for a moment, and then nodded. "Then let's hit it!"

So we went right. As we traveled and didn't run into traps, I reasoned that Mako must have been right. There was a downward slope, and we had to brace our muscles so that we didn't trip as we went over the steeper parts. When we had walked for what felt like hours, I stopped and turned to Gonzo and Mako, ready to tell them to quit for the night.

"Is there something wrong?" Mako asked as I turned.

"I think we should stop for the night," I said. "Not give up, just take a rest. There's obviously nothing here, and I think we would be better at looking if we were well rested." When Gonzo and Mako looked unconvinced, I crossed my arms in a huff and turned back, ready to start walking again. "Well fine, have it your wa-AAAAYY!!!" I shrieked as I fell through the floor of the cave.

"Miss!" Both Gonzo and Mako yelled, rushing over to where I had fallen. I couldn't hear anything after that, because my head hit a loose rock, and I was out.

It was dark when I came to, and I laid there for a moment, wondering how the hell I was still alive and where the hell I was. After I was convinced the only way I was going to get any answers was if I were to move, I sat up and put a hand to my head, hoping to quiet the pounding banging within it. I got to my feet, careful to make sure that my legs would support me, and looked about, as if I could see in the dark. But I couldn't, so I drew my dirk from my belt and swung it out in front of me a few times to make sure there was nothing there, and set forward, dirk held in front of me in case I ran into anything. My dirk hit something solid, the shock ringing through my hands. I put the blade down and reached out. My fingers hit stone, and I walked until I could put my whole body against it.

_It's not much, but it's something to follow, _I thought as I began edging along it. I didn't know why I was pressed up against a wall-perhaps it was to avoid being attacked from the back, or perhaps I was looking for a doorway out of the dark room. What I found was much better. Eventually, I rammed my side into something sticking out of the wall. I froze, knowing that whatever it was, it was probably not a good idea to attack it. I reached out-it was a wooden switch. I pushed on it, and torches suddenly flared to life all about the room, lighting up a bed of moss that I had probably landed on.

_"What mortal comes here?" _the voice demanded. _"State your name." _

"Tetra," I said. For some reason I was shaking as I answered.

_"I know not the name," _the voiced roared. _"What are you doing here?" _

"I came here by accident," I called back to wherever the voice might be. "I didn't mean to, really."

_"Step forward," _the voice commanded. I did so, trembling. Never had I been so terrified. There was silence.

"Are you done?" I demanded. I suddenly felt uncomfortable, as if someone were watching me. "Can I go? I'd really like to get back to my ship and crew, if you don't mind." I rubbed my arms against the goose bumps that were appearing on them.

_"Never again," _the voice mumbled. It sounded old and tired. The image of an old man appeared before me, clad in a red robe with a crown upon his head. He had white hair and a beard. A smile appeared on his face. _"You've lost something." _

"What do you mean?"

He held out his hand. _"This," _he said. It had been he who was talking to me. _"Your necklace." _A leather cord suddenly hung from his hand, supporting the golden triangle that had been my necklace. I walked up to him and wrapped my hand about the triangle. It felt solid, and weighted my hand down when I took it from the man. _"Keep it. You might need it if we meet again." _

"Why would we meet again?" But the old man had vanished, the torches had gone out, and everything was dark again.

"Miss! Miss Tetra!"

The voice . . . it was so familiar.

"Miss! Tetra!"

Nudge? Why was he down here in the stupid dark hole with me? Had he jumped? The idiot.

"Miss!"

"I'm fine," I said. "Now tell me why you're here in the dark with me in this stupid hole."

"Miss . . . ? I think you should open your eyes."

"My eyes are open!" I declared, wondering what in the world Nudge was talking about.

"Um . . . Miss? No they aren't." Something snapped, and I realized that my eyes were indeed closed and that I was laying on something soft. Perhaps I was on the moss again? Who knew. I couldn't remember anything since the old man had vanished. I opened my eyes to find that I was on the ship, in my cabin on my bed. I blinked in confusion. "She's awake!" I rolled over onto my side to see Nudge, Gonzo, and Mako standing there.

"What happened?" I asked, confused.

"You fell," Mako said. "Luckily, it wasn't that deep, so we went in to get you."

"Wasn't that deep!?" I shouted. "Are you crazy? I must have fallen forever!! But . . . if you came to get me that means you must have seen the switch that turned on the torches and the old man with the red robe. . . . " I trailed off when I realized that they were staring at me as if I were crazy. "You didn't."

"It was about five feet down, but you hit your head and passed out," Mako said. "You must have hit it harder than we thought."

"Five feet. . . ?" I said in dismay. The whole thing must have been a dream. I never got my necklace back. . . . "The treasure?" I asked somewhat hopefully. Maybe they had the sense to retrieve it. . . .

"There was none," Mako said. "The tunnel caved in about ten feet from where you fell and the other tunnel before that. It was a waste." I frowned. "So . . . "

"Make plans to sail to Windfall to restock," I said. "Then we'll sail wherever we please. For now, just leave me alone." As they left, I heard them talking about how I had lost my necklace for nothing, not even one piece of gold. I swallowed hard against tears. It felt like I had been so close to getting my necklace back. I rolled over to look at the wall, and found my eyes resting on the picture of the hero . . . instinctively, my hand went to my neck, and where I expected to feel nothing except skin in place of my necklace. . . .

I felt a leather cord.


	5. Captured

I am very sorry for the long wait, but school is finally out, so I should be able to update more often (I hope-my summer's busier than my school year) We're trying to get a new internet provider, but it's not working at the moment, so my internet was down for a bit, otherwise this would have been posted about a week earlier.

This chapter is considerably shorter than the last, but I need to restart a game on Windwaker so that I can get a feel for the dialogue and sequence of events and such, and I don't think anyone wanted to wait for me to do that.

As you can guess from the last sentence, we're finally getting into the part of the story where the game begins.

And once again a thank-you goes out to whyetteh (who's probably not reading this) because editing his story helped me get started on this chapter.

Oh, the first part of this is a little choppy, but I didn't have time to revise it-I wrote through writer's block. But bear with me-it gets better (at least, I think it does)

Disclaimer: I don't own the legend of Zelda.

I grabbed at it. The golden triangle hung from it-as always. Then . . . it wasn't a dream. I had actually gotten my necklace back. But how? I let the cord settle on my neck again and lay back to think. I felt the ship moving slowly through the water. Perhaps the whole thing had been a dream and I hadn't. . . .

"Miss?" Gonzo stuck his head in. "We'll go back to Windfall again for some more provisions."

"Again?" I asked hopefully.

"Yes, again, Miss," Gonzo said, confused. I remembered that in the dream, if it was a dream, I had told him to go back to Windfall. My spirits sunk. "I know you don't like the attention we bring to ourselves there, but it's the only place we can get the things we need. I'm sorry about the treasure." So it hadn't been a dream.

"The treasure," I said. "Right." I looked up at the face in the doorway. "Gonzo, can I tell you something without you thinking that I'm crazy?"

"Maybe," Gonzo said, coming in and sitting down next to me on my bed. "What is it?"

"Well, when I fell, I must have been knocked out, right?"

"We found you unconscious at the bottom," Gonzo said "So, yes."

"Well, I had a dream of some sorts," I said. "I know it sounds odd, but that's not the last of it. I dreamt that there was an old man wearing a red robe with a crown on his head. He didn't say anything, but it was as if he knew me. And he had my necklace. He gave it back to me."

"But it was just a dream," Gonzo said.

"That's what I thought," I said. "But . . . look." I brought out the golden triangle, holding it where Gonzo could see. "That's why I'm not so sure."

"How did this happen?" Gonzo asked, reaching for the necklace. Gingerly, I set it in his hand and let him examine it. He ran his fingers over it and turned it about, looking at it from every angle.

"I'm not sure," I said, folding my hands as Gonzo finished looking at the necklace. "It's like I never lost the necklace."

"It feels different," Gonzo said as he placed it about my neck. "Heavier, like." A yell sounded out from above deck, and Gonzo stood. "I've got to go." He turned to face me. "And I won't tell anyone else about this." His footsteps pounded on the wood for a minute or two, then ceased.

"Heavier?" I whispered, placing a hand on the triangle. Now that Gonzo mentioned it, he was right. The necklace did feel heavier than it did before. I took it off and let it rest on my hand. It seemed to glow. "I wonder . . . " My mother had given me the necklace to protect when I was younger. Was there a reason that she wanted me to protect it? Was it more than it appeared to be? "Agh!!" The necklace went skidding across the floor as my cabin rocked. I reached for it as I heard someone pounding down the stairs to my room.

Mako appeared in the doorway, looking quite disheveled. "M-miss!! I think you should come see this!!"

"See what?" I demanded, grabbing my necklace off the floor and dropping it over my head. "What's going on?" The room rocked again, and both Mako and I went flying. "What in the-?" I yelled, half crawling, half running past Mako in the doorway to the deck.

"Miss!!" Nudge shouted, and pointed to the sky. I looked up. A giant bird with multicolored feathers streaming from its head flew toward us, raking the ocean with long orange talons.

"That thing's huge!!" I shouted. I knew what it was-a Helmorac. They prowled the great sea, looking for the bodies of unfortunate sailors to feed on or abandoned dingies to sink. But this one was bigger than any I had ever seen. . . . My train of thought was slammed short as the bird crashed into us, almost capsizing the ship. I grabbed onto the railing of the deck and prayed for my life as my ship slowly righted herself. "Why's it doing this?"

"I'm not sure!" Mako shouted. "We were sailing smooth, and suddenly, we spot this thing on the horizon, heading straight for us!" The bird struck again, sending Nudge off the side of the ship. "Man overboard!" Mako shouted.

"Get him back on deck!" I screamed as Gonzo ignored the call and fired a cannon at the monster. "Get him back onto the deck, dammit!!" I ran and slapped Gonzo, who immediately rushed to where a dingy sat, shouting for Niko to come and help him. The little swabbie rushed to Gonzo, tripping over his own feet on the way. "Niko!" I caught his arm as he tried to board the dingy. "Don't you dare screw this up, you hear?"

"Y-yes, Miss," he stammered as Gonzo picked him up and threw him onto the floor of the dingy.

"Hurry!" As I saw them lowering themselves into the water, I ran to make sure the sails were tied up so the bird couldn't rip them. My crew had gotten them all, but the one rigged at the aft of the ship was coming undone. As I began to shimmy up the mizzenmast to the unfurling sail, I heard Senza shout. I concentrated on tying down the loose sail as the volume of the shouts increased. Senza shouted again, this time his voice laced with pure fear. I looked down from my task and saw Gonzo and Niko trying to pull Nudge into the dingy-with the giant Helmorac pecking at them. "That little. . . ." I began to slide down the mast to the deck.

"Mako!" Senza turned to the brainy pirate as I hit the deck. "Is there any way to get that thing to stop pecking at them?"

"None," Mako replied. I growled as Gonzo lost hold of Nudge, sending him flying back into the bottom of the tiny-looking dingy. There was no way they would be able to save him if this continued. "There are none that I know of."

"I know one," I said, and the two men turned. I bolted for the cannon that Gonzo had left unattended when he went to help Nudge. "You just make sure they don't give up!" I hauled one of the huge black balls to the cannon, put it in after the gunpowder, and turned the cannon so that it was aiming toward the bird-not an easy task, considering the cannon's massive weight. "Hey! Shit-for-brains! Look over here!!" I screamed at the top of my lungs and fired.

"It hit!" I heard Senza shout. Just then, the cannon hit me in the stomach, propelled backward by the recoil of the shot. I flew backwards, hitting the railing briefly before falling into the water. "Miss Tetra!" My mind muddled by the shock of what happened-how could I have forgotten about the recoil?-I was barely able to grasp the fact that I needed to swim to the surface for air.

"Miss!!" That was Mako.

"I'm all right!" I shouted up to him. "Just throw me a rope, or something!" I began to swim toward the ship as Mako vanished from sight. Geez, the past few days hadn't been good for me. I lost my necklace, fell down a hole and got knocked unconscious, and found my necklace just in time to be attacked by a giant Helmorac and sent flying off my own ship by my own cannon fire. Mako reappeared at the railing, holding a coiled rope in his hands. I waved to him. "Throw it down!" A few seconds later, a rope hung about three or so feet in front of my outstretched hand.

"We've got Nudge, Gonzo, and Niko on board, Miss!" Mako shouted.

"Great!" I called back, reaching for the rope. I was so intent on my goal that I didn't notice the flapping sound behind me. I paused, just inches away from my destination. "Something tells me I should look behind me right about now."

"MISS TETRA!!" I heard something hit the water behind me, and powerful gusts of wind were knocking up small wakes. I swallowed hard and turned my head. The giant Helmorac was flying straight toward me, raking the water with its talons. I screamed and dove as it reached me, avoiding getting hit by a knot on a rope, which isn't very much, mind you. I heard the bird crash into the ship, and the ship rock in the water. The thing was above me, circling back in order to make its next attack.

"Miss!" Gonzo appeared at the edge of the ship, which had been knocked yards away from me when the bird crashed into it. "Hurry! Make for the rope, make for the rope!" I complied, slicing the water in front of me with my hands, trying to swim faster than I could. The rope was only inches away, I reached for it. "MISS!!!!!"

"Aiee!" I screeched as I was lifted out of the water, talons gripping me securely about my middle. The Helmorac had caught me! As it lifted me higher and higher-eye-level with my crew on the ship, level with the lowest mast-I began to panic. "Lemme go!" I pounded on its talons, trying to slip my short boy-cut nails between them and pry them apart so they would release me. "Lemme go, you stupid thing!"

"Miss!" The shout was faint.

"Help!!" I screamed as the Helmorac began to pull me away from the ship. "Gonzo! Nudge! Senza! Mako! Zuko! Niko! I don't care who, just get me away from this thing!!" Nothing moved for a minute, but then the sails began to unfurl and the ship turn in my direction. They were going to save me! _If they can catch up, _I thought as the bird began to increase its flight speed. "Hey! Give 'em a chance down there! It's no fun if there's no chase!!" The bird looked down at me, one multicolored eye gleaming in annoyance. Suddenly, a talon loosened its grip and hit me soundly on the head, knocking me unconscious.

When I came to, wind was slapping my face. I blinked, hardly able to keep my eyes open against it. We were up above the clouds, and I was dizzy, sick to my stomach, and my head was pounding, so it took me a moment to remember just what had happened. When I did, I tried my best to look up at my captor, ignoring my pounding head. The bird still flew at crazy speeds, eyes set on the air in front of it. I groaned and let my head flop back to where it had been, trying to keep my stomach from rejecting whatever I had eaten that morning. I blinked once more, and what I had just seen hit me-that bird had a metal mask on. From what I had seen, Helmoracs were free birds, attacking any who entered their territory, not letting any human tame them. So why was this one wearing a human-made object? Was it serving someone? Was it in captivity?

"I think I could make much more sense of things if my head weren't pounding," I muttered. Suddenly, the bird dipped below the clouds, and I could see the ocean. "Where are we?" I asked. I was not expecting an answer and did not receive one. As the bird dipped lower and lower, a cannonball whizzed by. With an angry shriek, the Helmorac lifted up again, turning around as it did so. I saw a little speck on the ocean growing larger and larger. Another cannonball came whizzing by from its direction. _The ship!_

As the thought crossed my mind, the speck grew larger and I could make out masts and sails. Another cannonball flew by, and I could barely hear the thunder the shot sounded. The Helmorac flew higher, out of the cannon's range. It hesitated, and then began flying away from the ship.

_It must not want to go this way, _I thought as the bird turned to face my ship again. Once more, it hesitated before flying away from the ship. _My crew is chasing it away from its nest! _I smiled at the thought of them plotting against a giant Helmorac. _I'm glad they thought about what they were doing for once. _As I looked in the direction the bird was flying, I could make out a small island. _Oh, no, _I thought. _If we go there, everyone's sure to know that we're pirates! _The form of the island grew bigger and bigger as cannon fire on the bird continued. I could suddenly make out a small village settled in the face of a cliff that made up most of the island. I could see someone running across the beach toward the island's watchtower.

"Miss!!" The cry was faint, faint enough so that I could barely hear it, but I knew the voice. Gonzo! They were close enough to shoot the bird! I felt someone's eyes on me, and I froze. They left as shots were fired from the ship, and then came back as the cannonballs came whizzing past us. The bird turned, and another shot was fired. It hit the bird, who voiced an angry caw. It swerved, and I caught sight of someone in the watchtower-a little blonde girl wearing a blue dress who was looking up at me, her mouth wide.

I looked toward the other, taller figure, but the bird pulled up, its talons loosened, and I was falling. My last thought before passing out was an absurd one-_A young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. . . . _


	6. The stupid kid in green

Bwa. I'm really sorry for the long wait, so I gave you an extra-long chapter. But . . . there are a few things I would like to say before we get going.

I tried as hard as I could to get the dialogue and actions from scenes in the game as accurate as I could, but I'm not sure how well I did. There's one instance where I changed something because I thought it would fit better with the story this way.

After Quill mentions the Forsaken Fortress, Tetra hisses "The Forsaken Fortress!" And it stops there, instead of going on as if she's not sure about something. ("Isn't that the place where-?")

Oh, and the end of the chapter is kind of choppy (I might rewrite it later)

I think that's it.

_A young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere. . . . _

_ Weilding the blade of evil's bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light. . . ._

There was a ringing in my ears as the words of the legend dripped through my mind.

_Known as the Hero of Time. . . . _

_ The great evil . . . _

There was an angry roar, like that of a monster, and my head cleared a bit. But the words still dripped through my brain.

_that all thought had been forever sealed away by the Hero once again crept forth. . . . _

_ But the Hero did not appear. _

Was I floating? Something seemed to be supporting me, but I wasn't standing on solid ground. My arms and legs hung limply, useless.

_They left their future in the hands of fate. . . . _

Something _was _holding me, by my vest. But what was it?

_What became of the kingdom? _

I was dimly aware of the sounds of swords clashing and the smell of a damp, wooded area. Was I in a forest?

_None remain who know. _

As I opened my eyes, I heard a loud roar, and a thud, as if something heavy had fallen to the ground. A quick glance around told me I was in a forest and hanging from a tree. Well, that certianly seemed dignified, didn't it?

_Gotta get down from here, _I thought as I began trying to swing myself off the branch . . . or something along those lines at least. Unfortunately, about that moment, the branch I was hanging from gave way with a snap, and I fell. "OWWWCH!!" I got to my feet slowly, holding my head with one hand. _Stupid trees, _I thought. _Stupid stupid-huh? _I paused, looking at the boy before me.

"Are you all right?" I looked him over as he waited for an answer. He was about my age, and wearing green. The thought stuck out in my mind for a moment, but I pushed it back. He stood with one hand on his hip-the other held a sword. I thought of backing away, but he didn't seem to wish me any harm. "Hey. . . . " I stopped at his face. His hair fell out limply from beneath the green cap he was wearing. I swallowed. He was _cute. _

"Wow," I mumbled.

"What?" He waved a hand in front of my face. "Are you all right?"

_Oh no! He saw my slip! _I paused a minute, trying to recollect myself. "What's with that get-up?" I asked, trying to change the subject. He looked down and disdainfully held a pinch of fabric between two fingers. He opened his mouth to explain. "Well, whatever," I contined, cutting him off. "So, where am I?" I looked around, slightly confused. I was in a forest, yes, but just _how _had I gotten here again? "Oh, that's right! That giant bird came and. . . ."

"Miss! MISS TETRA!!" Both the kid and I looked over to see Gonzo at what seemed to be the entrance of the forest, waving his arms and jumping about like a fool. The kid gaped as he came running over to meet us. "Oh! Oh, thank. . . ." He paused, out of breath. "Thank goodness! You're safe! When I saw you get dropped on this summit, I thought for sure you'd. . . . "

"Summit?" I spoke my thoughts aloud. That stupid bird dropped me on the summit of a _mountian? _"So that bird dropped me on the top of a mountian?" Gonzo nodded, and I felt a scowl creeping through my face. "Well, wasn't that nice of it!" Yep, I was fully scowling. I began to make my way toward the entrance of the forest where I had seen Gonzo. Speaking of Gonzo. . . . "Well, don't just stand there!" When he looked confused, I added, "_Let's go! _Time to repay our debt to that bird in full!" I turned.   
"But, Miss," Gonzo said slowly. My pace slackened, but I didn't stop. "What about this boy?" I didn't have to turn to know that he was gesturing at the boy in green.

"Don't worry about him! Come on!" I paused until I felt Gonzo at my heels, and then left the forest.

Once outside, I found myself on a cliff hanging high above the ocean. There was a bridge to another cliff, and on that cliff was a path, probably to the rest of the island, if I had any guesses. I heard footsteps behind me as I paused to consider how exactly we were to get off the island without attracting more attention than was needed. I didn't have to look to see that the footsteps belonged to the kid in green. He was the only one besides Gonzo and I who were in the forest, so it made sense. Suddenly, a small girl-the one I had seen in the watchtower, I realized-came running up the path, waving her arms.

"Big brother!" she called. I heard a small chuckle behind me, and turned just enough to see the kid in green wave at the girl. She came running across the bridge, and the kid in green stepped forward, as if he were going to greet her, but my attention wavered there because a distant, familiar sound reached my ears.

It was a screech.

I looked up, and sure enough there was the giant Helmorac that had caught me before, except . . . it didn't have its eyes on me, I realized in a panic. I followed its gaze to the girl. Was it after her? My eyes widened in horror.

_I have to warn her-_I thought, but it was too late.

"BROTHER!!!" the girl shreiked as the talons closed around her, sweeping her off the bridge easily.

_No! _My mind screamed. _Put her down, you stupid bird! I'm the one you were after! _There was the sound of ringing metal, like when I drew one of my daggers, and I looked over. The kid in green had drawn his sword-since when did he have a sword? It didn't seem to be there before-and was running for the bird. I was going to let him, but I realized his eyes were on the girl-his sister-and not on where his feet were going. _The cliff! _He drew closer to the edge, and I moved toward him.

"Miss?" Gonzo asked, and at that moment, the kid fell. I dove for his hand as his green cap vanished over the edge. I caught it, and began to slip-with the sword, he was heavier than I was-until Gonzo wrapped his arms about my middle and began to attempt to pull us up.

Attempted, that is.

At that moment, the kid began to squirm in my grip, and I had to fight to keep my hold on him. All the movement nearly jarred me out of Gonzo's arms. I could hear him cursing under his breath, and the kid repeating a name-Aryll, who I could only guess was the girl who had been kidnapped. I looked up-the bird was flying into the horizon, and the kid wouldn't stop struggling.

"Uhhn!" I grunted, still trying to keep him from falling. "Stupid kid! Get ahold of yourself! She's gone." I could hear him protesting, still squirming as if he were going to chase the bird. "There's nothing you can do." He seemed to take my words into consideration, and let himself hang limply. "Gonzo, help."

"Right." With a grunt, Gonzo stood up, pulling me to my own feet and dragging the kid up over the ledge. I gave a curt nod, and set off over the bridge. Moments later, I heard the bridge shake as the kid followed us.

It was a slow walk down the mountian to the village, and I was ever aware of the kid's gaze on me. I bit my lip-what did he want from me? When we entered the village, people glanced up from their tasks to look at us, and I gritted my teeth. I hated being watched, and the kid's gaze-along with those of his neighbors-were nearly driving me insane.

_Stop following me! _I thought. When my eyes landed on the ship floating near the island, I let out my breath in relief.

"Miss Tetra!" Niko greeted us as we approached the beach. "Gonzo! You found her!" Gonzo chatted with Niko as I heard someone coming through the sand behind me. I didn't have to look to know it was the kid in green. Suddenly, my two crew members went silent. "Who's the kid?"

I whirled around, my tied-back hair almost slapping Gonzo as I went. "What the hell do you want, kid?" I glared at him, and he back at me.

"First off, my name's Link," he said slowly. His voice sounded different-serious. "And as for what I want-you're going to take me with you on your ship." He sounded as though this were something he had planned for years, instead of just minutes.

My eyes went wide. "What?!?" I exclaimed. "You want to come with us on our ship?" I repeated the words in a daze as Link nodded. After a moment, I pulled myself together and placed my hands on my hips, raising an eyebrow as I looked at him. "Do you understand what you're asking? We're pirates!" His expression didn't change. I was getting desperate. "You know . . . _pirates_! The terror of the seas! What do we get out of bringing some helpless little kid along with us? I'll tell you what we get . . . a headache." His face was set. Time to try a different tactic. "I know how you must feel, with your sister having been kidnapped and all." His face fell, and I continued, sure I was going to win. "But that doesn't really have anything to do with us, now does it?"

"I don't know," Link mumbled, but another voice spoke over him.

"And how do you figure that?" We looked over to see a Rito male with a postbag slung across his chest-I supposed he was the island's postman, as most Rito served as postmen.

Gonzo, irritated, raised his fists at the newcomer. "Whoa, whoa, whoa there!" he said, as if the Rito were advancing on me rather than standing there. "Just who are you?! Where do you get off butting in on someone else's conversation?!"

"Please!" he said, crossing his arms. His tone sounded angry rather than pleading, as if my crew and I were pathetic. "All I mean to say is that if you big, bad pirates hadn't come to this quiet little island that poor girl wouldn't have been snatched away by that bird."

I knew he was right, and I felt ashamed, but I wasn't about to admit it. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Just be quiet for a moment, and I'll tell you!" He looked ruffled, but calmed as I shut up. "Now, as my work entails delivering letters, I spend much of my time traveling amongst the many different islands." I knew that. "As a results, I hear many things." Who didn't? "Haven't any of you heard word that young girls have been getting kidnapped lately from all regions of the Great Sea?" My mouth dropped open-I hadn't. And from Gonzo's perplexed face, he didn't either. Seeing this, the Rito seemed satisfied. "No matter," he continued with a little grin on his face, proud of himself for getting the better of me. "Whether you've heard it or not, that seems to be the case. Young girls with long ears like yours have been getting kidnapped, never to be seen again."

"Where are you going with this?" Link asked.

The Rito continued as if he hadn't heard Link. "And unless my eyes fail me, the young girl who was just kidnappped from this island also has long ears, does she not?" His eyes burned with anger towards-I could only guess-myself.

_I think I know where he's going with this, _I thought, closing my eyes and wincing.

"Much like _you_ do, Miss Fearsome Pirate," the Rito finished, speaking my thoughts. "My point is that the bird mistook that poor girl for you, and that's why it grabbed her!" I looked at the ground, aware of everyone's eyes on me, trying to hide my burning face. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was young Link here who saved you from the monsters in the forest, wasn't it?"

_Monsters? _I had heard something roaring in the forest. I whirled to face Link, who seemed a mixture of proud and embarassed. "Is this true?"

"Yeah," he said. "But they weren't that tough."

But the Rito postman wasn't satisfied yet. "Oh! And while I'm at it." I winced, waiting for the next words of scorn. "I may as well tell you that the bird that kidnapped both you and Link's sister has made its foul nest to the north, on the heights of the Forsaken Fortress."

My eyes jerked open at the name. "The Forsaken Fortress!" I hissed.

"Isn't that the place where . . . ?" Link began, but the postman cut him off, still speaking to me. I didn't want to know what he was going to say.

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked. "Under the circumstances, I don't think it would be unreasonable for you to give Link a little help, now, would it?"

"Humph! I don't need you to tell me that!" I huffed, replacing my hands on my hips. "Even if I were to consider it. . . ." I broke off, resisting the urge to growl. I recollected myself and continued. "Lately, I've heard nothing but evil rumors about this Forsaken Fortress." I spoke as if I didn't know the place. I looked over Link and continued. "You can't possible mean to go there with nothing but that cheap little sword! That's not brave! It's stupid!" Link looked at his sword.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, come on! Even a simple little island like this has to have something you could use as a sheild," I said. A thoughtful look crossed his face, and I continued. "You know, something to protect yourself with?" Link said nothing. "Anything?"

"Well, there _is _something," he mumbled.

"Tell ya what," I said. "If you come back with something like that, we'll let you stow away on our ship." Gonzo and Niko both balked at me, but I was satisfied. At least that stupid postman wouldn't lecture me anymore.

"Thank you!" Link said with a grin.

I hated to admit it, but he looked _really _cute when he was smiling.

_No! _I thought. _Can't have thoughts like that! _"Oh, and one more thing: once we leave, you won't be coming back here for a while, so you'd better go say good-bye to your family while you have the chance." When he gaped at me, I scowled. "I don't want you getting all weepy-eyed and homesick on me!"

"I won't!" he declared, and ran off.

"What do we do now, Miss?" Gonzo asked.

"We wait," I said simply, setting myself down on the island sand. "Although. . . ." I said, looking up at the postman. "He'd better get back here soon, before I change my mind!"

As we waited, Niko rejoiced. He danced a bit, saying something along the lines of, "_Hello, _new pirate swabbie! _Good-bye, _dirty pirate underwear!" while Gonzo grumbled, "That kid better do what the young miss says, and quick!"

To tell the truth, I was quite tired of listening to them. I wanted Link to get back, if only to shut them up. As if called, the green cap came bobbing into view. When he reached us, he presented an old wooden sheild to us. I wasn't too sure about it-it didn't look very reliable to me.

"Wow, that's a that's a decrepit old sheild," I commented. "Are you sure you can still use that thing?" He nodded, and I was struck by an idea. "Are you going to get splinters and cry?" He opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off. "Well, whatever. If you're ready, then let's go!" I turned and began to walk for a dingy waiting to take us to the ship. When I heard no footsteps behind me, I whirled back to face him. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah," he said, stepping foward to follow me. After a moment, I turned again, leading him to the dingy.

It was a long, uncomfortable ride out to the ship, and I refused to look at Link, Niko, or Gonzo. As a result, I was left with my own thoughts until Senza threw the ladder down, hitting me on the head.

"What was that for?" I shouted up at him, grinning inwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. I growled at my shipmates. "Come on, let's get up the ladder before something else hits us." I grabbed the bottom rung of the ladder and began to haul myself up. I was relieved to get back onto the ship, as one would be to come home after a long journey.

"Miss . . . ?" Senza asked, pointing at something behind me. "Who's _that?" _

"I owe him a favor, and this was what he wanted," I said shortly, not wanting to explain what had happened on the beach.

"A boat ride?" Senza asked, sounding both amused and doubtful.

"A mode of transportation," I countered, only slightly irritated. "We're kicking him off as soon as we get there. Now we're setting sail, _got it?_" My voice lowered to a dangerous tone as I finished my sentence, and I looked about, daring anyone to object me. "Senza, Mako, Gonzo, come _on _you guys, let's _go!"_

"Yes, Miss!" They scrambled about the deck, Senza heading for the gigantic cymbol-thing that we rang when we departed. I loathed the thing, but the rest of crew called it "tradition" or something like that. Sometimes I wondered about my mother's sanity when it came to some of the things that the crew insisted she had done. A split second later the gong was hit, sending soundwaves reverbarating all over the place and the sails were lowered. As we started moving, I saw Nudge come down the mainmast, and I caught him.

"What is it, Miss?" he asked, seeing me attatched to his sleeve.

"Don't let that kid go in my room," I muttered, glancing at Link, who was waving goodbye to his neighbors as they shouted things like, "Good luck!" and "Take care of yourself!" I looked back to Nudge, who seemed confused.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I don't want him in there!" I said. Nudge seemed to give in, but something bothered me. _Why _didn't I want Link in my room? I never actually let any of the others go in, but they never wanted to. So why was I making such a big deal out of it now? When Nudge opened his mouth to ask another question, I snapped, "If he asks, tell him that even you guys aren't allowed in there, or make up your own excuse! I don't care! Now go!"

"All-all right," Nudge said, and headed toward my cabin as I went up to join Link at the rear of the ship. He was waving frantically, when he paused suddenly, his eyes wide. I followed his gaze to where an older, white-haired woman standing on the deck of a house on the island. As he ran as close as he could to the edge of the ship, I had to wonder who the old woman was to him. My thoughts wandered as Link resumed waving, this time twice as hard, and I sat down on the railing of the ship above the poop deck.

"Ugh, how much longer is this going to go on, do you think?" I pondered aloud, not wanting sentimental thoughts to get the better of me in front of this strange boy. "Do you have an estimate?"

He turned, surprised and wide-eyed once more. "Hey, that's not right," he said. "I'm just waving good-bye to my grandmother. She's the only family I have left other than my sister." I winced inwardly at the hidden accusation in the words, but I wasn't about to let it get the best of me.

Instead, I sneered, tilting one corner of my mouth upward as I continued taunting him. "Are you sure you shouldn't just quit right now?" I asked. His mouth went wide. "Seriously, think about it." I sighed and leaned back against part of the ship, resting my arms behind my head and closing an eye, looking as though I were about to go to sleep. "I can tell you're just going to get more sentimental from here on out. There's still time, you know."

"Time for what?" Link demanded, his tone beginning to sound harsh and angry.

I grinned. "Are you sure we shouldn't just turn around and take you back to your island?"

"Don't take me back," Link said, truly angry by this point. "I'm fine." He walked off as I stayed there.

"Into the big blue, boys!!" I heard Gonzo shout. "Turn the ship full to starboard! We head for the northern seas!" I had to pause. Was that correct? I turned my thoughts in that direction, and suddenly, it didn't matter anymore. "Listen, shrimp, you're really creeping me out standing there like that!" I paused. Was that stupid kid in everyone's way? "Stay outta my way! WAY outta my way! Go down below and find Niko!" I got up, deciding to join Gonzo at the wheel.

Unfortunately, I ran into Link first. "Link!?" I exclaimed, not really surprised. "Listen, kid, you can't just stand around on deck! You'll get in everyone's way!"

"Yeah, but what am I supposed to do?" he asked, crossing his arms in an irritated motion. "That big guy-I think you called him Gonzo-told me to report to Niko, but I have no idea where this 'Niko' is!"

"I've told Niko to look after you," I began. Link opened his mouth to protest, but I cut him off, "so you'd better report below decks and ask him what you should be doing." In truth, I told Niko no such thing, but if Link were to stay on the ship, he would need to earn his keep. And, as it stood, the only way to do that was to become a swabbie. Therefore, Niko was no longer the bottom rung, but as the second to the bottom rung, he had the task of keeping the bottom rung on task.

"You . . . told . . . ?" Link looked slightly confused.

"I didn't _tell _him, but he gets the point, okay? Go!" I gave him a shove.

He turned towards me. "But what about the Forsaken Fortress?" he asked.

"I'll call you when we reach the Forsaken Fortress," I said, slightly exasperated. "So until then, just go talk to Niko and do whatever he tells you."

"Fine," Link grumbled, walking away. A second later, he was back. "Which way-?" I pointed. "Thank you."

A/N: I really don't like the way that chapter ended, but oh well. And they won't let me keep my marks seperating the author's note from the rest of the story! Argh!!


	7. Ready, aim, fire!

Hey! I'm back! This story isn't dead yet! Okay, so, just to review a little bit . . .

Tetra's mom dies, and the story starts about ten or so years (maybe less, I don't know) after that. She gets captured by the Helmorac King, and then the crew chases it to Outset, where it drops Tetra in favor of Aryll (well, not really, but I like how that sounds) After a telling off from Quill, the Rito postman, Tetra agrees to let Link on board the ship.

One more thing-the last page or two of this was written while I wasn't "inspired" or such, so it might be a little worse than usual.

I know it's been a while, but please review!

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

I stood there for a few seconds before I heard Gonzo's shout.

"Hey! Zuko! You keep a strict watch up there, all right?! If you spot anything, give us a shout! A _loud_ shout!" He paused, and I heard Zuko calling down to him. "Cause I can never figure out what you're trying to say! _That's_ why you've gotta be sure to shout, Zuko!" He turned to me. "Are you all right, Miss?"

"Fine," I said.

"That kid bothers you." There wasn't a questioning tone in his voice.

". . . I guess."

"I don't know why you let him on board, then," Gonzo said. "I was against it from the very start, but once you say something, I'm not gonna object."

"I gave him my word, thinking that he wouldn't be able to meet my terms," I said. "And when he did, I had to keep my word. I don't go back on it, you know." Gonzo nodded. I scowled, remembering the Rito male on the island. "And besides, with that stupid postman nagging me every which way, there wasn't much else I could do." Irritated, I kicked at the wooden deck below me.

Gonzo became thoughtful. "You know, Miss, had you wanted me to, I would have given the men on the boat a signal to fire at him." He grinned. "Dunno if it woulda been good for _our_ health, though." I smiled at the thought-it shouldn't have been an amusing one, but it was given the fact it contained a certain Rito postman burning . . . well, it was pretty self-explanatory for me.

I found myself wandering the deck, listening to the babble of the crew as they talked amongst themselves. As I came around the mainmast, I saw Link standing there, one hand on his hip, looking at Mako, who seemed irritated.

"Listen, I _was _doing what Tetra told me to," Link said, a hint of irritation painfully clear in his voice. "I went below decks to find Niko, but there was no Niko there. There wasn't _anyone _there, to be exact. So tell me, where is Niko?"

"He should be below deck, just like Miss Tetra said," Mako replied, completely unfazed by Link's obvious anger. He looked Link over as the kid in green walked away. You _did _send Niko below decks, didn't you, Miss?"

"I shouldn't need to tell him," I replied. "He's the swabbie, he should go down there without reminders and without complaints."

"Well, I hope you don't mind me saying so, miss," Mako began. "But it doesn't seem like Niko made out too badly, with that boy being the new swabbie and all." He paused as we watched Link yell at Niko, who was trying to sneak below decks before the kid in green could find out that he was missing. "Don't you think so, Miss?"

"Yeah. . . . " I muttered, completely unaware of what I was saying. Mako looked at me in shock as I watched Link vanish into the door.

"Erm . . . Miss? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I answered, feeling as though I were in a daze, or with a fever.

"Right then . . . I'm going to . . . go talk to . . . erm, Gonzo." He scrambled off, short legs going as fast as they could, but I didn't seem to notice. My mind was muddled, and my thoughts swam through a thick fog to get to the surface of my mind.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _I wondered, stepping forward. I found myself with a face full of wood.

"Are you okay, miss?"

"Ow. . . . "

I was walking below decks the next morning after my breakfast (I took breakfast earlier than the crew) when I heard talking from the mess hall. I stopped outside the closed wooden door and put an ear to it to listen.

"So. . . . " That was Link. "Is she _always _like this?"

"Miss Tetra?" That was Gonzo. "Nah. She's usually a bit nicer. Don't know why she's taken to hatin' you, though."

"Makes me feel good," was Link's sarcastic reply. There was silence for a moment, the only sounds reaching my ears were the clunks of the wooden spoons and forks hitting the wooden plates. "So . . . if she hates me so much, why did she let me come on board?"

"Wasn't her plan," Mako replied. "That Rito dude made her."

"So . . . she hates me then."

Nudge spoke next, and I could see the expression he had to be wearing on his face-his eyes would be wide with disbelief, his mouth hanging open slightly at whoever the previous speaker had been. "Don't say that," he retaliated. "Miss Tetra doesn't _hate _you, per say, she's just a little nervous around outsiders."

"Coulda fooled me," Link scoffed.

"Don't forget," Niko put in. "You _did _save her in the forest back there."

Link's tone was hopeful. "You saw?"

"Yep. The whole thing." Damn him. I swore that he'd have the worst time of it later in the morning when he reported for duty. Forget the fact that he technically wasn't a swabbie anymore, he was scrubbing the whole damn ship.

"Miss?" Senza, who was heading into breakfast, stared at me, flabbergasted, as I stormed away from the mess hall. "Miss? Are you . . . all right?"

All right? I didn't know if I was all right. I didn't know what was right or what was wrong. My thoughts didn't concern things like that anymore. All they focused on was Link this, Link that, what I would ever do if I let my guard down when I was near him. If he ever found out that I _didn't _hate him, that in fact I _liked _him, enjoyed his annoying little company. I felt my cheeks go red. Was this love? No, it was just a little silly crush. After all, he _was _the first male anywhere near my own age that had ever been on board, with all the others some decades older than me, so it was only natural that I react like this. Wasn't it?

While my mind ran over this, I realized Senza was still waiting for an answer. "No, Senza," I sighed. "I'm not all right."

A few strands of hair pulled free from the band tying them to the back of my head, blowing in the wind as I leaned against the ship's railing, staring out into the water. I shivered as a particularly hard gust of wind rocked the ship gently. I rubbed my hands over my forearms vigorously, trying to warm myself. Breathing out, I waited.

"Do you believe what the pirates say?"

I smiled. "You've got guts, asking me that."

"How so?"

"No one asks me what I think of them." I turned, resting my back against the railing, spreading my arms out across it. "Because it doesn't make a difference."

"I could contradict that, you know."

"You don't count."

He crossed his arms. "You do hate me."

"Perhaps."

"Why, though? What have I done to you?" The words struck me hard, harder than Link's glare as he narrowed his eyes at me. What _had _he done to me? Nothing, that I knew of. Saved me, perhaps, in a sense. Was that why I hated him? Because he had saved me, proving that I wasn't as invincible as I made myself and the others think. No, that wasn't it. They had known me when I was young, a helpless child. That couldn't be it. "Well?"

"Why do you even want to know?" I snapped, frustrated at losing my cool in front of this stranger. "Listen, as long as we get you where you want to go, you don't have to know what we think of you." He didn't respond. "We should be at the Forsaken Fortress by this time tomorrow. Be ready."

"Right," Link said, turning away from me. "Thanks."

I did not respond.

It was late the next evening when Zuko reported that we had reached the Forsaken Fortress. I thanked him, ordered the men to stop the ship, told Mako to go fetch Link and climbed to the crow's nest to wait, looking out over the Forsaken Fortress. Something intrigued me . . . when I had last seen the place this close, the security hadn't been so tight. It had one searchlight that made its way around every half an hour or so. Now they had an insane amount that cast beams onto every inch of the surrounding waters. There was no way we'd get in. Footsteps broke my thoughts, and I turned, looking down at the deck.

"Hey!" I called down. He jumped. "Link!" He looked around wildly, trying to spot me. "Here I am! Up here!" Link's head shot up, and he spotted me, nodded, and began climbing up. As he hauled himself over the final rung of the ladder, I wanted sorely to complain about how slow he was, but held it in. Either way . . . "What were you doing with Niko?" He didn't answer. "Don't tell me you were playing some stupid game for treasure . . . were you?" I added, seeing his face change.

"Well, kind of," he answered somewhat sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "But . . . it's not like he gave me anything important, you know? Just a little something. . . . "

"Well, whatever," I retorted. "There's something you need to see! Have a look over there." I pointed in the direction my eyes had wandered before. "_That's _the cursed known as the Forsaken Fortress." To emphasize my point, I jerked my chin in that direction as well. Link put his hands on the sides of the crow's nest and blinked at it, taking it all in.

He hissed, suddenly, making me jump. "That bird . . . " he murmured, angry.

"There are all sorts of strange rumors about this place," I said, looking away from the bird that had captured both Aryll and myself. "What I _do _know is that long ago, it used to be the hideout of a no-good group of pirates we used to compete with." I growled. They were the ones that had shot my mother. "But they were just small-time." I felt better upon making the insult. "Now, the place looks like its pretty dangerous."

"No shit," Link replied. Meanwhile, my train of thought had moved on.

"Ah! I knew it! Look!" I pointed to the tallest tower of the Fortress. "Over there! By that window!" He blinked, confused, and then his eyes riveted to the same opening that I had been examining.

"Have you ever seen so many seagulls flock like that before?" I asked.

"Seagulls?"

"I'll bet you anything that's the place where they've got your sister locked up!" He grinned, excited, but I sighed. "But it looks like the whole place is under really tight guard."

"Can't you get in any closer?"

"Won't work," I replied. I pointed at the searchlights that flooded the place. "We'd be spotted before we got anywhere _near _landing there. Hmmmm . . . "

"Well, what do we do now?" Link demanded. "You can't tell me this was all for nothing!"

"Calm down," I said, an idea striking me. "I think I might have something here. . . . " When he looked over at me, I winked. "Follow me!" We climbed back down to the deck. "Gonzo!"

"Miss Tetra?"

I leaned over and whispered in his ear. "Ready the catapult. We're going to fire the kid straight over the wall and into the fortress." He nodded, and ran off. I located Link, and dragged him over to one of the empty barrels.

He looked at me, one eyebrow raised. "What's this for?"

"Climb in."

"WHAT?!"

"Listen, do you want to save your sister?" He nodded. "Then climb in and shut up." As he lifted one leg into the barrel, I fished in my pocket, and pulled out a crystal stone with a cord wrapped around it. Making the motion as if I were patting him on the back trying to comfort him, I slipped it into his pocket. He continued his climb and was none the wiser.

"So what's going to happen now?" he asked. At that point, Gonzo came in, grabbed the barrel, and headed over to the catapult. Link's eyes went wide as he registered where he was. "Hey! You're not seriously going to do what I think you're going to do, are you?" He began to move around, either trying to get out of the barrel or knock it off the catapult, I couldn't tell.

"Depends on what you think we're going to do," I replied smoothly, then frowned. "Look, don't struggle. If you really want to get into a dangerous place like that, this is the only way to do it."

He looked over, but his motions didn't cease. "Really?"

"Trust me."

"We pirates do this all the time!" Gonzo put in, coming up beside me, ready to fire. "Never you fear, kid, we're pros."

"All right . . . " Link didn't sound convinced, but narrowed his eyes, an expression of readiness that couldn't be mistaken. "Do your best. . . . "

I smiled, in spite of myself. "Don't worry about it!" I reassured again. "It'll be a piece of cake!" I looked around. "Is everybody ready!?" Gonzo saluted, and the countdown began. "Three!" Link held his expression. "Two!" Link shut his eyes. "One!" He shut his eyes tighter and gritted his teeth. "Go!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" The barrel went flying through the air, heading straight for the Forsaken Fortress.

_If he screams like that, then the whole place'll know he's there before he even lands! _I thought, somewhat amused as some of the crew half-waved their goodbyes. Speaking of landings . . . "Oh, shit!" I realized just then that I had missed my aim. He was heading right for a wall!


End file.
